Suri shot by his closest friend

In a bloody and unexpected twist to Rakta Charitra, Suri, alias Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy, the factionist leader accused of killing TD legislator Paritala Ravi and masterminding the Jubilee Hills blast of 1997 that killed 26 persons, was shot dead by one of his closest lieutenants in a car here on Monday evening.

Bhanu Kiran, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, used a silencer gun to shoot Suri dead at point blank range when the vehicle was near the Jubilee Hills-Yousufguda junction. Kiran, said to be the benami holder of Suri’s land, fled the scene even as Suri slumped to the front, blood pouring from the wounds.

He escaped even as the driver, Suri’s aide Madhumohan Reddy alias Madhu, stopped the car and alerted Suri’s henchmen. Kiran was picked up by the police and is expected to be produced before the media on Tuesday.

Kiran was previously held in 2002 and 2009 while running guns illegally. He is said to have been the main conduit for Suri when he was in jail.